The Darke County Historical Society announced the recipient of the Heritage Award at its annual meeting at Garst Museum on March 25. This year’s recipient is Brenda Arnett.
The Heritage Award was created to recognize outstanding citizens or organizations for their distinguished contributions or actions of unusual excellence that have helped connect people to Darke County’s past.
Arnett exemplifies the definition of the award through her work at Garst Museum, as a teacher for 30 years, and her participation with other local organizations. Although she was a math teacher at Arcanum High School, her work as a researcher and discovering the truth that sometimes dispels myths is an area where she has excelled.
It’s not uncommon to see a museum patron ask Arnett a question and then see the light in their eyes as she freely gives her time to go into detail about the history of the county. Arnett said, “When I was teaching, I was always happy when I could see the ‘light bulb’ go off in a student’s mind when they finally understood a concept. Here at the museum, it is just pure enjoyment when our patrons are surprised by how much history has happened here and by the quality of our exhibits.”
Arnett admits she enjoys researching the Revolutionary War era. “I think this interest came from a series of books I read while still in school that traced the lives of four core families from pre-Revolutionary time through World War II. There was genealogy involved, plus history,” she said.
That interest led her to become involved in two organizations, Darke County Genealogical Society and Fort GreeneVille DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). Arnett served as the Darke County Genealogical Society’ treasurer for several years and has also served on the lineage society committee. As a member of Fort GreeneVille DAR, Arnett served as a regent from 2019-2022 and has served on the Constitution Week committee and genealogical research.
Her ability to find things a lot of people can’t find and her attention to detail has allowed her to offer her research services to the Annie Oakley Center Foundation’s annual GALA. She offered a certificate for research. “The first client wanted me to find everything I could on Henry and Ella St Clair. The second client wanted my expertise in trying to find the identity of her birth parents,” she said. It was the second assignment Arnett highlighted that had a unique outcome. “We came to a logical conclusion, and she has corresponded with newly found family members. She was mostly interested in the medical history of her birth parents,” she said. “My current client is wanting to find out if she has any ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War.”
An area Arnett has really excelled is research into Annie Oakley. She will meticulously scour newspaper articles from around the world to confirm facts about Darke County’s most famous daughter or to learn new facts. During the annual meeting of the Darke County Historical Society, Arnett shared information she recently found about Oakley’s burial and whether or not she is buried in her own grave or if she is buried in Frank Butler’s grave. She found the answer close to home. The Daily Advocate had a story with the funeral director, who took care of the arrangements. For that answer, you will need to visit the Annie Oakley exhibit at Garst Museum. This information is included with the new artifacts in the exhibit.
Arnett said, “I think my interest in Annie really started when the Historical Society decided to reprint “The Life of Dave as Told by Himself.” I was put in charge of typing and laying out the publication. Then when Marilyn Robbins was editing material for the five books the society has produced, I was placed in charge of laying out the book. After Marilyn died we needed and in-house expert so I volunteered.”
Arnett has helped school children trying to find more information on Annie Oakley for reports and has discussed the sharpshooter with anyone interested in learning more or doing research about Little Miss Sure Shot. She has also appeared in documentaries delving into the life of Annie Oakley. Recently, Arnett had a big role in placing some of the newest items the museum recently received for the Annie Oakley exhibit at Garst Museum.
Dr. Clay Johnson, president and CEO of Garst Museum, explained how important Arnett is to the museum and praised her for her research work as the office manager and how she works with patrons to answer their questions.
The Heritage Award was originally established in the early 1980s but was dormant during the 1990s and for a few years in the 2000s. Past recipients include Mary Frances Schultz, Steve Miller, Terry and Julie Clark, Herbert McClain, Joshua Bowen, Don Asman, Larry Henderson, Susan Gray, Paramount Group (Dustin Nealeigh, Trent Thompson, and Matt Light), Roane Smothers, Florence Magoto, Dan Kagey, Crossroads of Destiny Exceptional Volunteers (Dave and Mara Cox, Fred Brumbaugh and Tony DeRegnaucourt), John and Karen Burkett, Nancy Stump, Marilyn Robbins, Darke County Park District, Dick Brown, Phyllis Crick, Fort GreeneVille DAR, Darryl Mehaffie, Allen Hauberg, John F. Marchal, Friends of Fort Jefferson (Dr. David Cox), and Mike and Sherri Jones.